When publishing my book “Marketing 100%”, the publisher, without warning me, wrote in the annotation that it was written by a “Russian marketing guru”... Oops.
When I received the book (I was working in Austria at the time), it was too late... Critics attacked me - who is he, who knows?!...
The book also reached one Ukrainian weekly. And I receive a fax copy of the devastating article - “yes, what do they (Muscovites) think about themselves! There is only one marketing guru in the world, and his roots are Ukrainian! That’s what we are!” We were talking about Kotler, the universally recognized marketing guru No. 1, whose parents left Ukraine at one time.
Well... I had to send a copy of my birth certificate issued in Odessa to the weekly...
And after a while I get new article: “Sensation! Ukraine gave the world two marketing gurus!”…
Moral: if, when communicating with the press, you want to receive good results, then it’s better to learn this. And here are books that will help you with this.

"PR Kit for Dummies", Eric Yaverbaum, Bob Bly (320 pages)
4.8 points out of 5
I've read a lot of "for dummies" books. This book is one of the best. It comes complete with a CD, which contains many useful forms and documents for specialists, and the content of which can also be rated “excellent”.
The authors were able to write a simple book about what PR is, where and how to use it. At the same time, it is written in a fun and interesting way - I note, a rare thing among PR books.
There are two disadvantages: firstly, American experience will not always suit us, and secondly, I don’t know about you, but I have always been embarrassed (and continue to be more and more embarrassed every year) to read books “for dummies.”

"Strategic Communication Management. Making PR Work", John White, Laura Mazur (270 pages)
4.5
If you're looking for a more serious book about PR, you won't be able to find a better one than this one. The subject of the book is strategic PR, the topic is serious, but the presentation is very simple. The book was a success for the authors: it contains many cases, examples of successful and unsuccessful actions and campaigns, a lot of statistical data, survey results and research. And yet the book is very easy to read.
The subtitle of the book does not deceive: I used a lot in my practice.
Tested - it works.
We can safely recommend this book as a reference book for PR service managers.

“PR 100%. How to become a good PR manager”, Marina Gorkina and others (230 pages)
4.8
You can count it on your fingers good books domestic authors on the topic of PR. The books “PR 100%” and “Desktop Encyclopedia of Public Relations” (authors D. Ignatiev and A. Beketov, Alpina publishing house) are pleasant exceptions.
The clear favorite is “PR 100%”, which became a bestseller (in Russia, an economic bestseller is a book published in more than 15 thousand copies), became a laureate of the “PRoba” competition and went through four (!) editions.
The recipe for success is simple. The book contains 65% practical recommendations, 20% examples practical work and projects implemented by the authors, 10% humor and 5% theory. There is no "water".
It seems to me that this is one of the formulas for creating business bestsellers.
And Marina Gorkina, although without co-authors, has already written a sequel - a book on how to become a good PR director.

» Roman Maslennikov, especially for the CPU, compiled an extensive list of books, films and TV series that, in his opinion, every PR specialist should study.

PR is a craft bordering on art, and never a science. While you dare to theorize, practice runs far ahead. But there are no “natural PR people” either. How do you know if you have a penchant for promotion and whether you will be a successful communicator and inventor of ideas that will change the world? Start with books.

I present to your attention three lists. The first is a “must read” for professional PR people. I’m bringing it here just in case, because I’m afraid that the younger generation of PR people might have missed the classics.

And finally, the third list is general developmental. After all, a PR specialist is a professional amateur. Inquisitive and inquisitive, almost like a journalist, only more “commercialized” and focused on making a profit. You need to understand different areas, know life from all sides and be able to ask 150 questions about the client’s business and his environment (there is a lot to learn from political technologists, lobbyists, politicians themselves, journalists, and producers , and from screenwriters and even from children's writers).

For dessert - delicious films about PR technologies and manipulation of public opinion.

And one more thing. Today every second person thinks of himself as a PR specialist. And he has the right - fortunately, from every iron there are guesses about what they “wanted to promote” here or there and how to “distract attention” this time. If you want to go beyond idle speculation and find out how PR actually works, these lists are for you.

So, “must read”

1. Of course, Victor Pelevin is our everything. Fans will find his “Dialogues with PR People”, from which, perhaps, his subsequent creations grew. The evolution of the writer’s thoughts is consonant with the development of information tools of influence: from television, advertising and politicians (“Generation P”) to social networks (“Love for three Zuckerbrins”).

2. Ilf and Petrov - “The Golden Calf” and “12 Chairs”, of course. I also advise you to pay attention to the story “Columbus Moors to the Shore,” where the motto of the PR man and the meaning of his work were first published: “Without publicity there is no prosperity.”

3. “Ears Waving Donkey,” written entirely by the Bakster Group writing team, is a real hit among savvy PR professionals. It is still a mystery whether the reviews of the book from Abramovich, Berezovsky and other high-ranking officials are real. However, none of the oligarchs have yet made any claims against the authors. It is recommended to read the book as part of the collection “Sum of Political Technologies” authored by Oleg Matveychev, a philosopher, ideologist and political consultant from high society.

4. The hero of the book "" by Christopher Buckley is a common name for the "devil's advocates" from the world of PR who promote cigarettes, alcohol and other harmful things.

However, I recommend paying attention to other books by Buckley, by the way, a former White House press officer. Namely: “Little Green Men” (about the competent promotion of UFOs as a phenomenon) and “Florence of Arabia” (about how, with the help of a startup TV channel, the morals of an entire state were enslaved). In general, the work of all Buckley, like all of Matveychev, is excellent from the point of view of PR technologies.

5. “Mafia manager. PR without lies, or the art of public seduction." The author is still unknown. But thoughts are extremely destructive for “ordinary PR people” and their clients. And extremely useful for customers of PR services. In the spirit of: “bargain with these bastards, and then hire the best and give them complete freedom.” A PR person should be armed with this book, in general.

6. “History of Russian Media”, published by the Afisha publishing house, is a guide to the media market. Although now traditional media are already on the verge of extinction, given that Barack Obama first gives interviews to bloggers, and then to his pool of publications, such milestones need to be known. After all, most professional bloggers are former or current journalists. And you need to know their roots.

7. An unofficial point of view on the cuisine of traditional media can be found in the book of PR specialist Alexey Sanaev “PRavda. A novel about Russian PR." (Sanaev is a pseudonym. Read my interview with him, find out his real name and study his biography; an extremely indicative career of the fascinating life of a cool PR specialist).

High-end PR literature

1. “American Hero” by Larry Beinhart - the same book on which the cult film of all PR people and political consultants “The Tail Wags the Dog (Cheat)” was based. I can't say that the book is better. It is deeper and a little about something else. About war as the most powerful tool of manipulation and focusing attention. Written as it should be. Facts + plot + cynicism - what else does a PR person need on vacation?

I suspect that Larry Beinhart is no less wonderful in his other books on similar topics. But, unfortunately, they are not available in Russian yet. I ordered the originals for myself.

2. “The Bible of Kremlin Political Technologists” is also a book whose author is unknown. Although a narrow circle of recognized PR specialists knows who is most likely to attribute its authorship. It is quite difficult to find it on the Internet, but it is possible. Just don’t read it without at least looking diagonally at the books from the main list above. Otherwise, you will simply be indignant and will not understand anything. Even if you really want to.

3. “Black PR. Defense and attack in business and beyond." Anton Vuyma is a well-known St. Petersburg PR specialist whose scandals and news stories are heard throughout the world. Due to the non-expiration of the statute of limitations, Mr. Vuyma does not talk about his shares in the last 5 years (but we can roughly guess). The book covers, step by step, such indicative PR campaigns as “drowning an expensive watch in the Neva” (an hour after the press release was sent out, the news appeared in the top 5 of Yandex.News) or trial schoolgirls against Darwin's theory.

Anton Vuim’s second book is “Lobbying. How to get the right decisions from the authorities” (posted for free on his website) is a bibliographic rarity, but almost completely repeats “Black PR”. But I read it just in case - you never know what I’ll miss from the “Theory of Virtual Concepts” (the basis of many beautiful manipulations).

4. “American lard” - author “O. Volya”. Try to guess who it is. Hint: his books are already mentioned in the review.

The book was written in 2009, when, it would seem, no one could even think of such things about Ukraine. Although in the same year they joked about Crimea in KVN... In 2014, “lard” was republished under the restyled subtitle “Yavol, Pan Obama!” Both the content and the promotion of the first book are fascinating - when posters with tin cans hung in the Moscow metro. And no one could understand.

5. “Advertising and Public Relations Techniques” from Igor Vikentyev, PR technologist and practical scientist working under the TRIZ sign (the theory of solving inventive problems - editor's note). He was able to encrypt the book so much from piracy that it is almost impossible to download it anywhere (except perhaps to rummage through the Deep Web). And in printed form it ended a long time ago.

On my blog you can find scans of 400 examples of promotion, which can be considered an encyclopedia. Pay attention to how PR people treat their knowledge differently - Oleg Matveychev, for example, is a supporter of total copyleft.

6. “In the fog of war. Offensive military communication technologies”, author - Ekaterina Egorova-Gantman. It seems that the book will become super-relevant any day now. Once again I was convinced that real PR is special operations, especially when they are carried out together with intelligence. Thank God they still write books about this. Otherwise they would live in ignorance.

I especially liked the episode with the corpse with the legend being thrown into enemy territory. “The Man Who Never Was” - an entire film was made based on this plot, not to be confused with the film by the Coen brothers, which, however, is also good. About the films below.

7. “How to write a press release”, Andrey Miroshnichenko. A press release is no longer a “golden bullet”; as a PR tool, it has practically become obsolete (unless you are Gazprom). But if you ever find yourself struggling to write a press release, then you need to write them the way it is written in this book.

8. “Craft”, Leonid Bershidsky. I love it when beautiful language, stylishly, in Bulgakovian style, written about the current affairs. The knowledge in the book and the author are likable, although Mr. Bershidsky hates PR people.

9. “Manipulation. Attack and defend! ", author - Vladimir Solovyov, the same one. The book is from 2010. It loses a lot because it is dictated and not written - this is noticeable in the style. But it contains a number of non-trivial tips that will be useful to a PR person in everyday life: manipulations with the female sex, and vice versa, with children, and so on on all fronts.

10. “Creative Warriors” - a whole series of books by an unidentified group of people. For the most part, the narrative is fantasy: warriors of light, creatives of darkness, and they embarked on a great battle... There are a number of powerful ideas for promoting the “Russia” brand in the global and even intergalactic space. I think this one book series is still waiting for its reader, and perhaps a film adaptation.

11. “How to “promote” a restaurant - 2. Master class on effective promotion”, author Oleg Nazarov, a master of not only promotion in catering, but also simply good man and a lover of information explosions like me.

I recommend paying attention to all the author’s books, since many of the tips are applicable to other areas of small business. And the PR specialist will find here techniques that he definitely hasn’t used yet, because he was “afraid of harm.” Don't be afraid and read Nazarov. There are no books on the Internet, I bought them from the publisher.

12. In conclusion of this list of books of the highest PR aerobatics, I will not recommend academic works such as “Manipulation of Consciousness” (Sergey Kara-Murza) and “Information Wars” (Georgy Pocheptsov). They have already found their reader: thoughtful and serious. Better read easy short story Andre Maurois - "The Birth of a Celebrity". All the tricks of bohemians, especially successful ones contemporary artists and art-house directors will become clear to you.

And there will be no more questions “why is he doing this?” when Comrade Pavlensky nails his balls to Red Square.

Books about whether there is life after PR, and whether there was life before it appeared

If you view PR not as a means, but as an end, you want to reach the meta level, win hearts and remain in eternity - most likely, these books will “untie your hands.” Or just to have fun.

1. “Dunno on the Moon”, Nikolai Nosov. When they told me that this book was just the thing for a PR person, I laughed. But I read it, because it was recommended by a serious person (his book will be in the review two positions later). Yes. Nosov is burning. The most unchildish, amazing and unexpected book-instructions for survival in troubled times. With the help of PR technologies.

2. “Overload”, Arthur Haley. The author of “industrial novels” gives a fascinating insight into how an electric company lives in times of crisis. How can a giant respond to public challenges when, as they say, “it is its own fault?”

In addition, I recommend reading almost all of his novels that I managed to get my hands on: “Wheels” (auto industry, competitive intelligence, branding), “Airport” (how to deal with emergency situations in the media), “Hotel” (personnel management through communications ) and many others.

3. “The Producer Comes Out”, author Alexander Rodnyansky. It tells how movies are made. An extremely frank book by an intellectual and a great professional. Change the world? No question. This is for the producer. “The world revolves quietly around the creators of new values,” wrote Nietzsche. Honestly, I rewatched The Tail Wags the Dog from a producer's perspective. And it clicked. Cool book. Not only about cinema.

4. “Post-industrial transition”, Evgeny Gilbo. A book about war? No. About values? No. About amazing new world. This is the undisguised reality from the author of the slogan “realism as the basis of success.” PR people are right - they, as in the joke, “can explain everything themselves.” But what is really going on is a big secret. From this book. It is distributed free of charge on the Internet.

5. “The Trust That Broke” - William O'Henry. After reading the previous book, you need to either hang yourself, or breathe out and move on with your life. The brilliant O'Henry will help you. Well, all PR people are a bit of a scammer. And good scammers are successful entrepreneurs. Not without a sense of humor! This is the next level for PR professionals who want to go further with their rich toolkit.

6. “How people think”, Dmitry Chernyshev. Among the PR people, former journalists predominate, but there is also a caste of psychologists. It is people of this mindset who want to get into the brain of every representative of the “target group” and understand why he did this or that after the “message”. But that's because.

We released new book"Content marketing in social networks: How to get into your subscribers’ heads and make them fall in love with your brand.”

When creating advertising, you can rely on natural genius or draw ideas from professional literature. If you are waiting for a signal from space, my article will not help you in any way, but if you adhere to the second scenario, then I advise you to choose books meticulously and immediately weed out the heresy. In this article I will recommend to you several of my literary sources of inspiration, which I was not sorry to spend time on, I hope these books on advertising will become useful acquisition and for you.

How to recognize a book that will be useful

Learn from those you want to be like. A bad shoemaker masterfully makes bad boots. And the people who create bad advertising will teach you how to make damn bad advertising. Read the author whose opinion you consider authoritative.

It is wrong to delve into academic marketing and try to create according to its canons. Don't confuse advice with laws. The authors advise, but do not set tasks. If you decide to put the proposed strategy into practice, clearly understand whether it is applicable specifically in your case. For example, you should not use Kotler’s advice from “Fundamentals of Marketing” when creating creative advertising.

Remember: A creative person reads Trout, Kotler reads it for economics students.

Horcruxes of my professionalism: rating of the best books on advertising

David Ogilvy "Revelations of an Advertising Agent"

I advise you to start with the classics. David Ogilvy wrote Confessions of an Advertising Man almost 50 years ago, but his advice remains relevant to today's advertisers. This motivating story of an ambitious native of Scotland has become a bible for fellow contemporaries and many generations of young professionals. Ogilvy relies on the loyalty and love of the client, so no aggressive marketing, only creativity.

• Number of pages: 240
• Time spent: 4 hours
• My rating of usefulness:
  4 out of 10

David Ogilvy "On Advertising"

Ogilvy is a classic that you need to know. The book is useful for beginners. It helps to understand the essence of marketing, to be inspired by the idea that “the buyer is not an idiot, but your wife.” Ogilvy’s techniques are already largely outdated and will not be any kind of discovery for the reader. However, the psychology of buyers remains the same, and the father of advertising talks about this in great detail in his book.

• Number of pages: 240 (lots of illustrations from magazines and newspapers)
  Time spent: 3 hours
• My usefulness rating: 3 out of 10

Claude Hopkins "Scientific Advertising"

Hopkins wrote the book in 1923. He succinctly but in detail describes methods of influencing a wide audience. The author of the book taught the whole world to use a toothbrush every day: he read about dental plaque in a medical reference book and told in an advertising campaign that Pepsoden toothpaste gets rid of it. David Ogilvy learned to do advertising on his advice.

I read this book in my first year of university and it gave me the basic information and general idea about the world of marketing. An experienced specialist will not receive any practical benefit from reading it, but I recommend that beginners spend an hour of free time, especially since the book is widely available and can be easily downloaded for free or read online.

• Number of pages: 128
• Time spent: 1 hour
• My usefulness rating: 5 out of 10

Martin Lindstrom "Buyology. A fascinating journey into the brain of the modern consumer"

If you are studying the psychology of those for whom goods and services are produced, I advise you to pay attention to this book. It is based on extensive neuromarketing research worth over $7 million! Lindstrom writes about marketing tricks: brand logos, health warnings, sexual innuendo in advertising. The book will contradict everything you believed before, but Lindstrom explains in great detail why you are wrong.

• Number of pages: 240
• Time spent: 4 hours
• My usefulness rating: 7 out of 10

Alexey Ivanov “How to come up with an idea if you are not Ogilvy?”

There is a stereotype that advertising is shocking, performance, “I’m an artist, that’s how I see it,” and computing operations are dirty words. And only those who have already graduated from university and begun to stew in the marketing broth understand that it is pointless to call oneself a humanist in this industry, because advertising is a technology. And it is precisely this side of the advertising business that Ivanov opens.

His entire book is a physics textbook for marketers. Imagine chapters with titles: passage to the limit, intentional violation of symmetry, hidden reserves.

For example, Ivanov describes the method of passage to the limit. Its essence is to demonstrate the maximum properties of an object. Applying to advertising: crystal clean dishes are the end result of a dishwasher. Therefore, an advertisement might look like this: there is a glass on a white background, which can only be seen when wine is poured into it. The product provides such crystal purity. And there are many more similar examples.

I was convinced that his theorems are applicable and work like clockwork.

• Number of pages: 240
• Time spent: 2 hours

Alastair Crompton "Advertising Text Workshop"

What is the difference between professional advertising text from amateurish, how to write a quality product - read on the pages of this book. I warn you right away that the book is for beginners just entering the profession. There are many examples of print, television (text) advertising, but they certainly will not surprise an experienced marketer.

• Number of pages: 243
• Time spent: 1.5 hours

Idris Muti "Branding in 60 minutes"

A useful collection of creative solutions and brand promotion strategies. Muti works with P&G, PepsiCo, HTC, so his point of view on branding can and should be considered authoritative. you will read it in an hour and a half, but during this time you will understand why Apple is a lifestyle, and other giant companies from the same niche are forgotten by consumers. Muti offers proven strategies from around the world that transform a product into a recognizable brand. The book is written very easily and naturally.

• Number of pages: 256
• Time spent: 1 hour
• My usefulness rating: 8 out of 10

Hamish Pringle "Stars in Advertising"

The book is devoted to a local problem that marketers used to talk about in passing: how celebrity faces work in advertising. This is a very short special course on attracting show business stars to advertising campaigns: risks, benefits, prospects. Which commercial alliance can be considered a profitable investment, and which – an expensive, meaningless shocking, Pringle will tell you with feeling, sensibly, and with consideration. The book is a comprehensive analysis of the problem with reasonable solutions and real-life examples. They will explain to you how to do it and what will come of it.

• Number of pages: 432
• Time spent: 4 hours
• My usefulness rating: 8 out of 10

Alexey Ivanov “Advertising. Playing on emotions"

Ivanov examines in great detail, using the example of hundreds of marketing practices, the most powerful lever of influence on the consumer - emotions. According to Ivanov, there are seven of them: envy, curiosity, fear, love, greed, vanity and guilt. You can create advertising using at least one emotional lever, and, according to the author, its effectiveness will increase tenfold.

Ekaterina Lapteva

• Number of pages: 256
• Time spent: 1.5 hours

Nicholas Corot, Sergey Pavlov, Igor Kozulya “Marketing Dracula. The art of making money on human fears"

The authors have an excellent sense of humor, so you won’t be bored while reading this book. A fascinating story about how to appeal to consumer fears for your own commercial purposes. The structure of the book is chapters about phobias and how an advertiser should act when lobbying his interests. The authors are not unfounded - for every fear they give the reader an example of the practical application of their tactics. I don’t think they will open up the America of marketing to you, but for a bored mind it’s a good boost of positivity and, perhaps, an impetus for the birth of a creative solution.

• Number of pages: 224
• Time spent: 2 hours
• My usefulness rating: 10 out of 10

Joseph Heath, Andrew Potter "Riot for Sale"

This is an unconventional approach to creating advertising: a protest against mass culture and promotion of individualism. Heath and Potter offer an alternative market of consumers - those who do not simply want to consume. The marketing ploy is to sell a revolutionary departure from created patterns, manifested in clothing, music, and lifestyle. Believe me, people are ready to pay good money for counterculture, because being “not like everyone else” is also social status. But Potter and Heath will tell you with a bit of irony on the pages of their book how to create an unconventional approach and sell it to customers.

Don't be afraid to experiment. Happy reading.

• Number of pages: 456
• Time spent: 8 hours
• My usefulness rating: 9 out of 10

Hristo Kaftandzhiev “Sex and violence in advertising”

The book contains an indecent number of moderately decent illustrations. Hristo lays out all the hidden desires of customers and tells how to manipulate them. This is not the author’s abstract reasoning about the influence of sex on the saleability of goods and services, but scientific explanation how and why it works.

The author highlights the difference between female and male perceptions of sexuality. He classifies the types of sexualized advertising, explaining the main strategies: from semiotics to visual execution. Everything is very detailed and deliciously exciting. And also - this will always work, because “sex sells itself”!

• Number of pages: 496
• Time spent: 8 hours
• My usefulness rating: 9 out of 10

Seth Godin "Purple Cow"

If you see a purple cow among the ordinary ones, you will be surprised. You'll be so surprised that you'll tell your friends. And they will also be surprised and, perhaps, will go to look for the very field where the unusual animal grazes. Seth Godin says that you can continue to sell the same products using standard promotion methods, or you can create a unique offer. The book contains hundreds of specific examples and strategies based on two paradoxes: safe means risky, very good means bad.

Godin inspires hard work to create something innovative. I definitely recommend reading it.

• Number of pages: 160
• Time spent: 1 hour
• My usefulness rating: 9 out of 10

Jack Trout, Al Ries "Marketing Wars"

An alternative approach to running advertising campaigns is war. Trout and Rice believe that marketing is a military action directed against competitors, and consumers are territory to be conquered. The authors explain this method by the principles of the military leader and strategist Carl von Clausewitz. Strange associations, but believe me, after reading this book, you will also look at marketing from a different angle. I thought about the fact that in practice, it’s the tricks that work to outwit the consumer, not friendship with them. The authors provide specific examples of the application of their theory.

• Number of pages: 304
• Time spent: 1.5 hours
• My usefulness rating: 10 out of 10

Jay Conrad Levinson "Guerrilla Creativity"

Memes from the Internet migrated to real life, and people feel ashamed not to know them. Marketing guru D.K. advises using local jokes from the Internet in your advertising campaigns. Levinson.

A meme is a message that evokes the same associations among an entire generation. Therefore, if you adhere to non-trivial (and low-cost) methods of combating competition in the modern market, create a memorable symbol, a joke, an image that will inspire confidence in customers. Creative Levinson will help you with this.

• Number of pages: 320
• Time spent: 1.5 hours
• My usefulness rating: 10 out of 10

And finally I will say...

The books summarize the experience of professionals. Marketing geniuses groped, made mistakes, drew conclusions, and then wrote 200 printed pages about it so that young specialists would not tear their hair out and organize ritual dances with a tambourine. This is precisely why you need to read professional literature. .After all, it is very stupid to reinvent the wheel where it has already been invented.

If you think that you have nothing to contribute to the advertising industry, because “I was born very late, everyone came up with it before me” - you are wrong. We all steal like artists - we imitate, but we add something of ourselves. No book in the world will give you a universal recipe for success, but it will tell you what can work in a similar situation.

I often turn to professional literature to get a hint, but not a ready-made solution. It’s trite, but the book is a coach who leaves the ending of his lecture open-ended.

Did you know that modern man spends only 3 seconds looking at an advertisement or a magazine page? Whereas before it took as much as 15 seconds to familiarize yourself with new material. We live in a world where supply in the market of all groups of goods and services exceeds demand several times. Coming out of this, modern advertising must be so unique that it attracts potential buyers or clients in just three seconds of time. How to do this?

We offer 20 amazing books about PR and for PR professionals that will teach you how to create truly effective advertising.

1. “22 Laws of Brand Creation” by L. Rice

Have you ever heard of brands such as Coca Cola, Samsung and BMW? In my opinion, every person on the planet knows these popular companies, and every second person associates them with a guarantee of quality. These brands, created decades ago, still occupy the top of the pyramid in their market segment. The book “The 22 Laws of Brand Building,” which became a bestseller in the United States, will tell you how to positively differentiate a new product/service from competitors and turn an ordinary trademark into a successful brand.

2. “Marketing 100%” I. Mann

Igor Mann's bestseller, whose total circulation exceeded 50 thousand copies, is a basic textbook on marketing. Written in simple and understandable language, it is filled with examples from the author’s many years of practice. The book will be useful for both novice marketers and small/medium business owners.

3. “WAVE, or How to manage corporate communications in Russia when everything is changing” D. Chernov

Do you know what the key factor influences the successful development and preservation of any business? In fact, this is not only marketing, public relations and interaction with authorities. Firstly, this is the ability to effectively build a strategy for the company’s relations with key audiences. Secondly, it is an understanding of why certain management techniques stop working after many years of successful operation. To maintain your business and meet new trends, you need to build a strategy for interacting with key audiences that influence your business. The book “WAVE, or How to manage corporate communications in Russia when everything is changing” talks about business development trends in the CIS countries and teaches how to avoid typical mistakes.

4. “Manipulation of Consciousness” by S. Kara-Murza

In fact, advertising is nothing more than manipulation of the minds of potential consumers. This book reveals the main secrets of influencing people's subconscious in the Russian market. The author describes the main methods of manipulation, which depend not on the quality of the product/service or the uniqueness of advertising tools, but on national characteristics and mentality.

5. “A complaint is a gift” D. Barlow, K. Meller

Why do companies need advertising? First of all, to inform potential consumers about your product/service and attract new customers. As everyone knows, advertising is an expensive pleasure that only successful companies can afford. The book Complaints Are a Gift talks about how to retain existing customers in simple and inexpensive ways. And all thanks to complaints, which are an invaluable source of information for business development. The book will be useful not only to owners and managers of companies, but also to ordinary consumers, as it contains step by step instructions creating and filing an effective complaint.

6. “Positioning. The Battle for Recognition" J. Trout, El. Rice

Did you know that the key to success is not producing the best product, but the best idea that will cement that product in the minds of consumers. The book “Positioning” is a classic guide for marketing, advertising and senior managers. Thanks to collaboration with Russian specialists, the book is filled with examples that are relevant for domestic PR specialists and marketers.

7. “Reputation risk management. Strategic approach" E. Griffin

When your company is thriving, be prepared: someone is clearly not happy about it. Environmentalists, workers' associations, jealous competitors... They will all try to damage your reputation in the eyes of the public. How to save your business? The author of the book “Managing Reputation Risks” argues that companies must not only protect their positive image, but also control it at all times. How to do this? This book gives all the answers.

8. “Practical PR. How to become a good PR manager. Version 3-0" A. Mamontov

What is public relations or PR? We often hear this phrase, but do not fully understand what it means. The book “Practical PR” was written by a practitioner in the advertising industry. She develops the idea that PR is not limited solely to working with the media and the number of publications, and a real PR specialist is a manager, not a writer of press releases. In his book, the author teaches how to find a harmonious balance between routine work and the creative process. He also explains how to constantly find new, innovative methods of public relations and build relationships with management to increase the role of PR in the life of the company.

9. “PR in the energy sector” V. Gromov

It is not surprising, but industry sectors such as energy also need PR campaigns. In the book, the author describes the most striking advertising campaigns and typical cases of using techniques from the field of public relations in the activities of modern Russian energy companies.

10. “Advertising techniques and Public relations” I. Vikentyev

In developed capitalist countries, PR differs in many ways from what is called “public relations” in the CIS countries. That is why the book “Advertising Techniques and Public Relations” was written. She talks about methods for creating an advertising campaign and promotion that have been tested in the markets of Russia and Belarus. In addition to theoretical information, the book provides examples and tasks for the daily work of an advertiser, journalist or businessman.

11. “Advertising and public relations. Image, reputation, brand” by A. Chumikov

To successfully launch a new product on the market, you need to create its image, create a positive reputation, and then a lasting brand. The book "Advertising and Public Relations" is training manual, which takes modern realities into account as much as possible and rethinks the outdated fundamentals of PR. The author describes theoretical concepts in a simple form and gives vivid examples, which will help advertising industry specialists learn how to create a successful brand in the domestic market.

12. “Reputation management: modern approaches and technologies” by L. Salnikova

Creating a positive image and promoting a brand is only half the task. An important part of a PR campaign is “reputation management”. IN modern world a positive business reputation becomes the most important competitive advantage of any organization. This book examines in detail the parameters and components of business reputation, methods for its quantitative and qualitative assessment, and the main characteristics of target audiences such as the media, authorities, the business community, investors, company employees and the general public. Such management becomes especially relevant in times of crisis, when it is necessary to minimize losses and save the company’s reputation. Using examples, the author explains how to strengthen the authority of an organization and contribute to its promotion.

13. “Plus/Minus” reputation. Russian experience of reputation management” I. Oleinik, A. Lapshov

An important part of public relations is not only familiarizing consumers with a product/service, but also managing an established reputation. It's difficult to create. But it’s even more difficult to keep it. In this book you can find basic methods of reputation management and issues of effective public relations. And all this using the example of the modern Russian market.

14. “Companies that bring love. World class companies. How they manage to win the hearts of people" Ray Sisodia, David B. Wolf, Jag Sheth

In the modern world, people are increasingly beginning to move away from material assets and think about spiritual benefits. The market is gradually adapting to these changes. Successful companies They do not offer consumers goods and services, they sell joy, happiness and love, creating emotional and social value. This book talks about how to win people's hearts. The authors provide compelling evidence that this approach will ensure true success and longevity for a modern company.

15. “Epic Content Marketing” by J. Pulizzi

An advertising industry practitioner, the man who coined the term “content marketing” in 2001, shares the secrets of building a marketing campaign in his book. He describes the process of its creation step by step and introduces the concepts of “epic resources”, which are necessary for running a successful advertising campaign.

16. “American Hero” L. Beinhart

Do you remember the satirical film "The Tail Wags the Dog" starring Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman? It was this book that formed the basis of Barry Levinson's magnificent political film. Writer Larry Beinhart dared to write frankly about PR in American politics during the administration of George H. W. Bush. He revealed for all to see how White House advisers save the president from a sex scandal, how election campaigns are conducted, and how news is invented in cramped government offices. The writer masterfully combined reality and myth, the real administration of President Bush with Hollywood tricks. The result is a great book with a lot for PR professionals to learn from.

17. “High-flying PR” by I. Alekseev, T. Gulyaev

This book covers not only PR, but also general development communication culture in Russia. The authors give practical advice, how to use such strategically important tools as public relations to assess the success of a company. They offer several practical “recipes” and help to find answers to all the questions that PR specialists and managers have while working on an advertising campaign.

18. “PR 100%. How to become a good PR manager" M. Gorkina, A. Mamontov, I. Mann

In this book, the authors, based on their own 10 years of experience in the field of marketing, described only the most effective PR methods. These are not only practical recommendations, but also vivid examples from our own practice, humor and basic theory. The book will help you for short term learn the basics of public relations and become familiar with the main advertising tools. And all this is based on the modern Russian market.

19. “PR with a zero budget” by M. Gorkin

If you don't have the budget to start a full-fledged advertising campaign, or your business is on the verge of closing, this book is for you. The author tells how to promote your own product/service if you are taking your first steps, and also gives advice on how to survive in the profession, learn to defend the need for PR activities and benefit your company even with a zero budget.

20. “Written truths. Why can’t everyone do the obvious” M. Umarov

In fact, PR is a very simple area of ​​the advertising industry, which is based on obvious truths that are understandable even to novice specialists. The author explains how to properly plan a PR campaign using basic tools and get maximum result. With this book you can learn how to work in crisis situations; how to write news that resonates; how to create topics that become social trends and reach the end consumer. And the whole secret is in the basic truths, which you not only need to follow, but also introduce something new from yourself. As an example, the author cites the activities of PR specialists of the leading telecommunications services operator Beeline.

What good books do you know about marketing, PR and the advertising industry?

1. “PR 100%” Mann, Gorkina, Mamontov

The book is read in one sitting in an evening. Written in an accessible, interesting and fun way. There are many examples, jokes, and parables from the life of PR people. But (from my point of view) the material is still presented quite superficially. Anyone who has been working in the industry for 3–5 years is unlikely to learn anything radically new from the book.

The greenest - must read, the more experienced - in order to sort knowledge into shelves.

2. “Public Relations for Dummies,” Eric Yaverbaum

An excellent book, which will be useful not only for beginning PR specialists, but also for experienced professionals. Easy, simple and accessible language, many interesting, creative examples from practice. Inspiration and a visit to the pr-muse while reading the book are guaranteed.

Don't let the name fool you. It will be useful for both beginners and experienced professionals.

3. “Practical PR. How to become a good PR manager", Andrey Mamontov

A good guide for students and those who are still defining themselves in the profession. “Shooted sparrows” and those who have already studied the above-mentioned opuses may find it a bit boring. There is a block of applications with examples of document flow for a PR specialist.

Beginning PR professionals who couldn’t find “PR 100%” for sale.

Classic PR

4. “Public relations. Theory and Practice", Scott Cutlip, Allen Center, Glen Broome

A boring, academic textbook that every public relations professional should nevertheless study. Just to understand the basic theory and fundamentals of the profession.

For those who receive an academic education - a must, for the most meticulous - in their free time from work.

First person PR

5. “High-flying PR. How to make a star out of a top manager,” Inna Alekseeva, Tatyana Gulyaeva

Good instructions for promoting the first person. The book gives a basic understanding of what tools and technologies can be used to increase the recognition of your boss. And most importantly, it answers the question - why does he need it?

Actually, the name speaks for itself - for those who want to make a star out of the top.

Strategies

6. Anna Gregory “Planning and Managing Public Relations campaigns”

7. Ronald D. Smith “Strategic Planning for Public Relations”

Foundation, foundation, base. Books that every PR specialist should read. And maybe after this, we will finally have PR strategies for every company or brand, as ideally it should be.

As mentioned above - everyone.

Anti-crisis response

8. “Effective crisis communication. From Crisis to Opportunity" Robert R. Ulmer, Timothy L. Sellnow, Matthew W. Seager

A thin book, the value of which lies in the fact that it contains many practical examples and specific cases, with a detailed analysis and detailed analysis high-profile and complex crisis situations. Not all advice will be relevant to Ukrainian realities, but nevertheless the book is useful to everyone who works in an area of ​​​​constant turbulence (FMCG, development, banks...)

Representatives of companies that face a constant threat of crises, and in our time this means everyone.